We hire

We are always looking for enthusiastic (budding) scientists to grow our team.

Graduate students in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health or School of Neuroscience graduate programs can contact us to discuss rotation opportunities.

Undergraduate students at Virginia Tech and medical students at Virginia Tech Carilion can contact us for exciting, hands-on research opportunities. Undergraduate students should also consider applying for the Integrated Health Science Research program for a multi-year immersive undergraduate research experience or NeuroSURF for a 10-week summer undergraduate research fellowship.

Looking for a postdoc position? Please send an email to mheijden [at] vt.edu.

How to reach out:

Read the lab website and do a bit of homework to understand whether our research interests align with yours. You should be able to tell why you are interested in working in this lab.
Email the following:
- Your name and that you are interested in working on a project in the lab.
- Tell us something about your academic background. If you’re an undergraduate or medical student: your major, how many credit hours you have completed toward your degree, and whether you have any prior lab experience. If you’re a recent graduate (bachelor’s or doctoral): your major and degree, and a brief summary of your prior lab experience in 1-3 sentences.
- Include a CV as an attachment – please include the contact information of two professional references. Dr. Van der Heijden will provide information of two prior mentees when she contacts your references.
- Provide the amount of time you have available to commit. For undergraduate or medical students: state hours/week. For recent graduates (bachelor’s or doctoral): months/years until intended next career stage and career goals.
- Explain in 1-3 sentences why you are interested in the laboratory.
- You will be contacted within 1-2 weeks after receiving your email.